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Topic: WLP565 What a monster (Read 1699 times)

Brewed a 1.059 Saison Thursday evening. Let fermentation get rolling and ramped her up to about 85 Saturday morning. I checked my gravity yesterday and its already at 1.010. Added some Brett this morning. Hoping for a good turnout. WLP565 is a beast. I have heard about stalls, but I've used this 3 times and had awesome attenuation.

Well I guess my question is, brett character aside. Will it be drinkable by August? Or would I better better of brewing one minus the brett and letting the brett saison age?

Definitely drinkable... it's not like pedio or other bugs that get ropey and produce diacetyl at first.

Whether or not you think the Brett character is ready is another story. I've used Orval dregs in secondary at warm temperatures and had wild Brett within a month, so much so that it started with a distinct cat pee aroma and only mellowed to horse blanket after aging for another two :-) Other times, Brett has needed more time to become distinctive. It really depends on the strain, health, pitching rate, and other factors that are hard to quantify.

I just tapped a Berliner Weisse for a party Saturday and I brewed it in October using the White Labs Berliner Weisse blend. The Brett was there and the beer was well received among a non-homebrew crowd for a sour. Without the Brett, it would have really missed the mark, so I'm glad I aged it. Went with the syrups, too.

Well I guess my question is, brett character aside. Will it be drinkable by August? Or would I better better of brewing one minus the brett and letting the brett saison age?

Two data points: the Saison Brett I did used only bottle dregs from Boulevards Saison Brett copitched with 3724. It has always been pleasant and drinkable, but has changed in character, going from WY3724 only to a bit funky to full on Blvd Saison Brett tartness and funk in 7-8 months. I've also pitched a smack pack of Brett Lamibicus into a mostly (1.026) fermented BDSA. For a while, it tasted like dirt, then a leather glove, then I didn't drink it for a year. Now, it's so good that it's one of my prized possessions.

I used Brett B. So who knows. I'll bottle it up in another month or so and let it sit for a couple months. See where it goes from there. I'll try one in August. If its a no go then i'll wait until Thanksgiving/Christmas to try again. Oh impatience....

I've got my first saison in primary right now using the Danstar Belle Saison dry yeast. I have not checked gravity but when it seemed like fermentation was over and I was going to rack it, I looked closely and saw tiny bubbles coming up the side of the carboy. Then again a week later. And again a week later. It's been in the primary for almost 3 weeks and it is still fermenting, very slowly. Still cloudy, still glugging along. I guess my advice out of all of this is, if you want a bone dry beer and avoid gushers, patience is key. Don't think it's over until you know for certain it is over. Gosh... I won't be at all surprised if I hit an FG of 0.999 on this one or something ungodly low like that.

Logged

Dave

"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)